Southport journalist Martin Hovden writes: It was a great election for the Conservatives and Labour in Southport, but devastating for the Liberal Democrats who lost four seats.


The Lib Dems held onto just two of the seven seats that were up for grabs in the town in Thursday's Sefton Council elections.


Labour gained Birkdale (just) and Kew, while the Tories gained Dukes and Cambridge. The Lib Dems held onto Ainsdale and Meols.


In Dukes, the most fascinating ward to watch, former Lib Dem turned independent Tony Dawson lost his seat to Tory candidate Michael Prendergast. Mr Prendergast now joins fellow Tory Sir Ron Watson and Lib Dem leader John Pugh representing the town centre ward.


The former Lib Dem stronghold of Birkdale also had its walls breached with Labour's Sonya Kelly winning by just 26 votes, with Tory candidate Lee Durkin in second place.


Kew, another former Lib Dem stronghold, is now controlled by three Labour councillors after Jennifer Corcoran had a decisive win, pushing the Lib Dems into third place behind the Tories.


As I said earlier this week, the Lib Dems are now a spent force in town. They were pushed into third place by Labour in recent general elections and they have lost votes and council seats all over the town.


Looking ahead to a future general election, Southport is now without question a two-horse race between the Tories and Labour.


Moving down the Formby by-pass to the Harington ward, the Tories gained the seat thanks to Joe Riley, well-known as the former arts editor of the Liverpool Echo. And by co-incidence, the Formby seat was held by the late Eric Storey – whose much-missed wife Gwen was the arts editor of the Southport Champion when I was editor.

Full results here